Can-cooking machine



1. s. BAKER;

CAN COOKNG MACHINE. APPLICATIGN FlLE JULY 12, 1916.

Patented sept. 2,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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M.' INVIA@ J.. Se BAKER.

CM! COOKING MACHINE.

APPLICAMM FILED Juw 12. $916.

Pand @am Q, MW,

4 SHEETSSHIEET 2.

1. S. BAKER.

CAN COOKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1916.

`Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET El1 ihnen/oflJ. S. BAKER.

CAN COOKING MACHINE. APPLICATloN HLED1uLY12,r916.

`melma Sept. 2,1919.

.4 SHEETS--SHEET 4.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE@ l JOHN s. BAKER, or Los ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA, nssrcNon., BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

ANDERsoN-BARNGROVEN MFG. co., or sANJosE, CALIFORNIA,` A coRroIinrIoN or CALIFORNIA.

remove.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHNS. BAKER, a`

citizen o f the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the1 county lof Los Angeles and State of California,` have invented certain new and useful Improvements "in" Can-Cooking Machines; and I herebydeclarethat the following is a full, clear, and f exact description thereof, reference being had toftlie accompanying drawings, which foi-in partof this specification.

Thepresent invention relatesito apparatus for cooking canned goods, ofthe general type disclosed inmy Patents No. 1,182,832`

of May 9, 1916 and No. 1,181,0571of` April 25, 1916, and `has for its purpose to pro-Vide an arrangement having'adpistable means for selectively controlling at will the discharge of the cans after cooking, andin which' said delivery control will effectively prevent the discharge `of any other cansl undergoing the cooking operation. u i i i i The invention `has for its furtlierpurpose to provide a can` cooking apparatushaving a can feediiigmeans and an adjustable can i discharge means control located in a position i whereby all workpertaining thereto maybe i performed by one operator; andwin which the adjustable discharge means .may be instantly operated to dischargethecans after the proper periods of cooking without grequiring removal ,or replacement of` any parts.

A further purposel of the invention consists in providing an apparatus of this char* acter having a can way that is of combined spiral and zigzag forniationto theendthat` the canned goods may be cooked at selective.

periodswithin `a wider range ofgtimethan has heretofore been obtainable. And in having the apparatus equipped with a plurality of dischargeineans located at differentpoints and under independent control 'in order that the cans may be delivered at any selected stage in theirtravel. i 1

i The invention'is shown way of illus-i.

tration `in the wherein.:` y g Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sec# tional] view ofthe apparatus. a a Fig. 2 is a top planview of the saine `with the casing partly broken away.

accompanying drawings Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevationalpview of a portionof one Jof the `adjustable. can discharge controlling devices.

`2 and 3 forthe :inthe cas-ingon `ner illustrated in Fig. `1.

`flexible and mounted on the Same.

i Sieifiation if Ittrs'lefent. 1 Patented sept. 2,1919.` appiicationaied July 12.1916. sifia'iNo. 103,827. l

Fig;` 51 is a detail sectionalview of the adjustable discharge controlling slide.

Fig. .6 is a detail sectional ofdfeed employed for high pressure tanks; an l charging apparatus therefor.

View of a form Fig. "7 is a detail sectional view of thedis- IReferring to theV construction i inl further" l detail, the apparatus consists `of a casing `1 adapted to contain lieatcdwater, steam lor hot air forheating inclose mechanism properly cooked;` Thesaid casing or tankisA purposeslandwadapted to i for advancing cans -aiidi directing them in their movement back and preferably made offsheet `metal 'of any dei sired or `necessary thickness and i is suitably supported. A plurality of "coils of piping a suitable framework of T- bar construction,

. The can way spiral formation.substantially as shownfin ranged in superposed stages after the inanfillers or bars 8 (see` Fig. `2) tween the tracks ofthe respective ways to be understood. of the can way lengths i thereof connected within the casingby curved` track y portions 9 and attheir outerends the ca-sing` wall 10` curved` at 11, symmetrically with tions has the inner trackpart 12 mounted for adjustment to the end that the-curved .parts on the can way may be regulated to `provide a continuouspassage` in accordance heating medium is` mounted.-

which also serves tofsup-r port the can way andthe conveyerapparatus `to be described.` `comprises track sections 5," 6 "andg thatare arranged .in acontinuoiis `my patents above referred to, though in the `presentiiistance the track sections 7'are ar- A plurality of isdisposedibekeep thetraveling `cans intheir properly convolutions of i the portions 9, and each ofsaidcurved p0r`-` f i with 4the. diameters of the cans to `be passed f therethrough. Each track `portion V12 is flexed by amanually operatedbar llfthat stud` 13 to bev is .a fitted with `a `handle 15 i located Yon the `outside of the tank or casing.` *The two lower vbars 14 at the rearl of the?` tank en' gagel respectively with a paii` Vof levers 16 and 17 suitably fulcruxned on the can way and oppositely acting to the end that two of the track .sections 12 may be adjusted by one and the same operation. The said levers 16 and 17 are connected to their respective" track sections by rods 18 and.19 or any other preferred manner` Thel track adjusting bars 14 at the top and rear of the casing are connected each to a single lever 20, likewise fulcrunied at 21 onthelcan way and conynected by the rod 22 with the related sec` tion 12 as shown. Similar adjustable track sections 23 are located at thelower and' forward end of the tank just in advance of `thecan feeding point, and said parts are each operated'by a rod'141 through the bell cranklever 21 whose arms engage respectively with said rod 14: and the rod 19 that engages the member 23. It will therefore be seen from the foregoing that the several sections for convolutions of the spiral can way may be adjusted in accordance with the size of the cans to be used and all in a convenient manner from positions within easy reach of the operator.4 ltwill be further noted that the series of controlling devices located at the front of the machine may beworked by the operator without requiring his leaving that position where he controls both thefeeding of the cans into the cookerand the delivery of' the dis charged cans. The track sectionsfare so connected that they form, asin my said patents, one continuous irregular spiral canfv; way having a plurality of parallel convollutions or runs each extending throughout i driving sprockets are adapted tobe connected with any suitable transmission and the conveyer chains 25 are connected at suitable intervals by the transverse slats 31 usually .employed for moving they cans.

A feeding hopper 32a is mounted on the p casing at oneside (see Fig. 2) to position the cans on'the first upwardly moving flight and it is arranged that the cans Vloe discharged at periods in their travel commensur'ate-v with the time they are subjected. to cooking' The several` discharging devices employed are independently'controllable tothe end that the cans'may be delivered from the cooker at any selected flight of the can way. f f

The discharging apparatus are distributed one at the front part of the cooker and a 'series atthc rear thereof in the manner shown in Fig. 1.- 'Ea'ch of said discharging devices cons1sts of a pauv of flanged members 32 and 33 forming guides that receive ythe lslide or closure 31 that is formed with van opening 35 therein adapted to register `selectively with any selected flight of the spiral can' way and allow the cans thereof to be discharged by gravity after the mannerillustrated in Fig. 1. Said slide 31 is curved concentric with the adjacent part of the wall and provides therewith a part of the can way to guide the moving cans when the discharge outlet is out of register.

The adjustable slides 3l are each adapted to be manually operated by a hand wheel 36 journaled in suitable bearings 37 on the casing and having a pinion 38 that engages with a rack bar 39 carried by the slide after the nianner shown in Figs. l and 5. And said wheel is adapted to be locked in said position for holding the discharge opening 35 to receive the cans by a pin 10 passing through said wheel 36 and engaging in the aperture of an arm l1 mounted on the casing.

It will be noted that the adjustable dis-- charge controlling slide o r closure has the opening 35 therein just large enough to allow one can to pass, and there is therefore no possibility of the cans being discharged from the can ways otherwise. The slide may be set instantly, as there is no part to be removed, opened or closed which would cause confusion to the operator when working. yThe discharge port may be properly located when the machine is full of cans, as the operator can always look in the port and see the cans passing same, and at the proper time, he can instantly throw the slide to 'bring the port in front of the can, and in fact he may, when ready to make a quick change, first shift the slide so as to bring the port partly over the run of the can way where the cans are passing and then when it is rdesired to throw open the port, the slide may be moved the balance of the way to register with the run of the canway. And in addition to seeing the cans the operator would know which can to let discharge and which to allow to pass.

In this connection', it may be stated that in cooking different fruits there may be one lot of cans containing goods requiring a three-minute cook, another lot a tive-minute cook, and a further lot a ten-minute cook fand so on. The three-minute cook would be f placed in the machine first and behind this would be `placed a pilot can of conspicuous color (e. g., black), then after a space of several feet would come the cans containing goods to be cooked five minutes` also with apilot can following of another color (c. 9'., red). The operator would set the discharge port to first take olf the cans of the thrce-miuutc cook, and as soon as the pilot can appeared were he would shift it along to conform Withthe live minute run of the cau-Way, andas soonv as these calls were discharged the slide would be shifted over` to conform withthe ten minute run of the can-\vay. Now, supposing there` followed 'the ten-minute cook` cans a llthls:

lotto be cooked about seven minutes event the operator would shift the Slideback, andby looklng 1n the port would seejivfhen the .cans had arrived at the seven minute run ot' the `can-Way, and 1t so, the sl1de would be .set` i'or the next suceezding runway, which `wouldovercook them a litt-le, but vvvould not result in clogging the machine. y y

An apparatus tor mechanically' `teeding the cans .to the cooker asillustrated in Fig.` may he employed when the cooker isl tobe witha pairot opposed pockets orchambers `l5 adaptedto receive the cansand discharge `3 them into the feed opening in` the valve casing` and which cansmay be ted to the valve b v an endless conveyer 47 that operatestdy feed .the cans .along tracks 48 disposed `in' -teeding relation to .said valve. `71th this construction it` will be observed that 4the steam or otherheatingmedium cannot es- 'ape from the heating chamber, and that `the cansmaybe ted to the can way 1n regular order. y y y o It will be understood that more than one mechanical feeding apparatusmay beemployed for delivering to the `cooker different. lots ot canned goods that are to receive cooks oi different periods. so that if desired a plurality of series of cans of the same or dililerent size, Whose contents require ditlerent times for cooking, may be passed through the machine at the same time. which can be readily done by properly adjusting the feeding and the discharging devices. Suitable conveyers may be provided as described in my said patent to receive the goods discharged from the chamber through any ot the outlets and carry same to apoint ot further disposition. j

Then the feeding apparatus disclosed in F ig. 6 is `employed a mechanically operated receiver for'the cooked cansi is preferably used in conjunction therewith; z'. e., when the machine is operating under high temperature. This apparatus is disclosed in Fig. 7 and consists of a casing or tank` 49 having a partition 50 dividing the same into a hot Water chamber 51 and a cold Water chamber 52. and so located that the hot ater chamber` receives the discharged and cooked cans from the chute delivery end issubmerged below the surface bers 5l and 52 53 Whose y `ber of the vvaterto `torm a Water-seal tor the heater and thereby preventfj-the `escape of the heating medium. A conveyer chain 54 is mounted to travel inthe tank 49 on the sprockets and dlocated atthe respective ends thereof and cooperates with suitable track 54S* thatsupportthe cans. The tracks hav( elevated portions betiveen the chamrising "above the liquid level and a jiaii'f oi: sprockets 5T is located "just over the partition for transferring cans from the h'ot water chamber 5l, past saidfpartition` and into the Coldwater chainbe`r`52. "A hood o a8 is suitably mounted on the `casing and overlies therais'ed portion of the"co`n` veyer in the iuaiinershown. And the ve ends 59 and tl() "ot the hood arev submerged beloiv the fWaterlevel to form a` Y liquid seal and thereby'not expose the `cans to the chillingintluence of the atmosphere as they are transferred from the chamber intlo the chamber l y y `In operation the cans are deposited on the tracks 5l andcarried by the'chains 54 up over Athe gooseneckl o do not strikethe atmospheric airvvhich is excluded by thehood 58. The cans are then delivered into the cold vvater tank 52 and thencefcarried troni the same and'cooled before"strikingthe air When they are `dis-l charged at the back by the raised track portion 61. `Vlhenthe apparatus disclosed herein is employed 'it is proposed to seal the several controllimz;` slides ot the cooker not outotgthe Water butf` in use `with suitable packings for the purpose ,ot avoiding the escape ot steam or other heating medium. y

It is obviousthat those skilled in the` art may vary the details of constructionr and arrangement ot parts Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to such teatures except as `may be required by the claims.

`What I claim is: i

l. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a, casing providing a cookingchainber, a can Way `located in said chamber and arranged in spiral and superposed stages, discharge outlets for the cans located at the respective stages of the rear of the casing, and a discharge outlet located at the front of the casing.

2. In a cooking apparatusthe combination of alcasing `providing a cooking chamber, a

can Way located ,in said chamber andarranged in zig-zag `formation therein, `means for moving the cans on said can Way, and a closureadjustably mounted on the casing having an opening adapted to register with any run of the can Way. Y

3. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a casing providing a cooking chama 'can way located in said chamber and ioo arrangedA in superposed zig-zag formation therein,` means for moving the cans on sald can' Way; and a closure ad]ustably mounted on the casing having an opening adapted to register .with anyl run ofthe can Way.l

4:. In a cooking apparatus thecombination of' a casmgproviding a cooking chamber, a'can way.. located in said chamber andl arranged 1n spiral and Y21g-zag therein7 means for moving the cans on said.

formation 'can wayyand a closure adjustably mounted on thevcasing having an opening'adapted to register with any run of the can Way.

5. In a cooking `apparatus the combination vof a. casing providing a cooking chamber, -a can Way located in said chamber and arrangedl in spiraL'superposed zig-zag formation therein', means for movingthe cans on said can way; and a closure adjustably mounted on the casing having an opening adapted to register with any run of the can In a cooking apparatus the' combination of a casing provi ing a cooking chamber, a. can'lvvay'located in said chamber and arranged lin spiral and superposergl'stages, and'discharge outlets for the cans located at the respective stages; fand a plurality or' closures located at different points and adjustable, each. closure having an openingto register with an opening 1n adapted asuma different runs of the can way for discharginO cans therefrom.

I. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a casing providing a cooking chamber having a plurality of openings therein. a spiral can way located in said chamber and arranged -in zig-zag formation, means` for moving the cans on said can way, and an adjustable closure having a. can discharge opening mounted on the casing at each of said openings.

8. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a casing providing a` cooking chamber.l a

spiral can way therein having opposite bends and an adjustable section at each bend, means connecting said opposite adjustable sections, and means for simultane- JOHN S. BAKER. 

